In Your Vulgar Paradise - Chapter 3
“I wondered why Baron Geshturn entering into a seemingly inferior marriage? Well, it seems there is some usefulness to it.”
“No matter how you look at it, Princess Helena seems more… well, kuhm.”
Loosely braided chestnut-brown hair, a ceremonial dress that appeared modest compared to the extravagant attire of others. As people muttered comments, seemingly forgetting their reverence due to her rather ordinary appearance.
Azniel’s golden eyes changed color. It was a noticeable change, visible even from a distance.
Soon, Azniel approached the airship and began to run her fingers over the hull, her lips starting to murmur. In the silence punctuated only by her devout demeanor, a radiant light emerged following her hand, enveloping the entire airship with a deep ivory glow.
Even for those accustomed to magic, the mystical spectacle was enough to rekindle a forgotten sense of faith, erasing the doubts that lingered just moments ago.
“We estimate the economic value that can be gained through this exploration to be a minimum of fifty million Pena.”
In an instant, Klaus, who had captivated everyone’s attention, continued his secular speech with an angelic and noble countenance.
The speech encouraged investments by highlighting the guaranteed minimum profits from investing in this flight and the priority participation in subsequent ventures.
Shortly after all the formalities were over, the lounge transformed into a banquet hall with displays of beverages and finger foods scattered throughout. The invited quartet’s performance echoed, and people danced and enjoyed themselves, creating an enthusiastic atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Antagon employees circulated, distributing business plans and providing investment consultations.
“Madam, you did well.”
Setting aside the festive atmosphere, Klaus escorted his wife out of the theater into the garden.
He was elated. The presentation had gone perfectly as expected, and those willing to gamble on Antagon’s magic were queuing up at the end. From morning until now, and from now until the late night when the banquet would conclude, today was undeniably the best day.
“Take care on your way home. I’ll stay to oversee the banquet and then join you.”
“…Yes.”
The place where Azniel was sent off was the front of the theater where an ivory-colored magic car awaited.
“Rest well. I won’t have any more requests for you now.”
“Uh, Klaus.”
As Azniel was about to board the magic car, she suddenly turned to him.
“Yes, madam.”
Klaus’s response echoed urgently in the unexpected situation. There might be people hesitating to invest due to his absence.
“Did I… help in any way?”
“Oh, yes. You saw it, didn’t you? Everyone was amazed by the Madam’s abilities, and even the last doubts about the airship were dispelled.”
People who had been muttering about their forgotten fear of the divine were now completely silent, mesmerized by Azniel’s radiance. In reality, there was no special power there, and Klaus, in fact, belonged to the category that even doubted God’s blessings.
“…That’s fortunate.”
A shy smile bloomed on Azniel’s face as she managed to intertwine her gaze with his.
“I’m glad I could be of help to you.”
Maybe it overlapped with the image of the girl who had healed him in the garden of the temple more than a decade ago.
Unable to name the awkward and tingling feeling that arose in that moment, Klaus leaned in and lightly brushed his lips against hers. It was an awkward peck, more awkward given the frequency of such gestures between them, but Klaus himself didn’t fully grasp its significance.
“The madam will be tired, so take care of her!”
And so, he failed to notice that subtle detail of the faint moisture in her golden eyes,.
* * *
Late at night, at the outskirts of the capital, the residence of Baron Geshturn.
The sprawling mansion on an expansive estate, rivaling any Duke’s residence, stood as a symbol of the favor that the Gilios’ royal family bestowed upon Antagon and Geshturn.
Crossing the elegantly landscaped night garden adorned with fountains, the black-colored magic car came to a halt. The owner of the mansion entered, carrying the scent of cigars, whiskey, and the warmth of the party.
“Welcome. I guess you enjoyed the event.”
“It was a success.”
“I will prepare the bath. For a nightcap…?”
“An 18 years-old Bert would be good.”
Klaus responded with a marching stride, almost singing, his tone echoing the satisfaction of a successful event. Perhaps due to this, he uttered something out of the ordinary.
“Is the madam retiring for the night? If not, later we can…”
“What?”
A peculiar nuance in the question. Klaus’s eyebrows rose.
“You said what.”
“Well, weren’t you coming together?”
In response to the perplexed question from the head butler, Klaus’s black pupils abruptly halted.
“Just a moment.”
Sensing that something was amiss, he briskly extended his legs toward the spacious and luxurious bedroom he had prepared for his wife.
The room was empty.
He searched through her usual places—her study, the greenhouse where she passed the time—but nowhere could he find a trace of her.
“Henderson.”
“Well, the car never came back in the first place…”
Ignoring the incomplete report from the butler, Klaus crossed over to the garage outside the mansion.
He was almost running, yet he failed to realize the urgency of his own steps.
The garage, converted from the usual stable space of a mansion, held only the magic car he had just returned in and a few prototypes.
The shimmering magic car his wife had used a few hours ago was nowhere in sight.
